Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1887-10-08
A PLEA FOR JUSTICE.
Henry c. Baldwin's Great Speech in
Favor of ChicagO's Victims.

faNOT OIL ChIcaSOS NlcIimS.
The following synopsis can only
convey little of the eloquence and
reason which II. G. Baldwin poured
forth at st. Johns Hall, Bridgeport,
in behalf of the victims of Chicago
police and thugs backed by capital
lists. Mr.. Baldwin's speech lasted
two hours and was attentively list
ened to. Our synopsis must neces-
sarily be short. He began by re-
viewing the attitude of our people
towards the nations of earth, and es-
pecially emphasized our boosted free
speech. He then spoke Of the events
just rior to the fatal day. How the
eight-hour movement was being agi-
tated, and how most Of the building
employers in Chicago had signified
their willingness to adopt the eight
hour system, when syndicate of
great capitalists outside Chicago de-
cided that the movement must be
throttled, and the dealers in build
ing material voted to boycott any
employer who favored the eight-hour
workday, by refusing to sell him
goods. Then came the affair at
McCormick's. Mr.. Baldwin said:
"No act of violence to amount to any
thing had occurred until May 3, on the
part of the strikers. A lot of men known
as scabs had been brought to McCorm-
ick's works to take the place of the
strikers. There were on the streets near
the factory large crowds of men, women
and children who were attracted by curl
osity, but by no precOncerted design.
They hooted and jeered at the scabs and
their guard of Pinkerton's men armed
with Winchester rifles. These men are
paid IS day. An excuse to fire was
wanted. Someone out in the crowd
fired pistol shot, but whether blank
cartridge or not, no one knows; but GER
tain it is no one was hit by it. At this
an indiscriminate fire was opened on the
crowd by Pinkerton's men, and six inno-
cent on lockers fell The excitement at
once became intense, and stung by the
outrage some of the leaders of the eight
hour movement used Incorporate Ian
guage, every word of which was speedily
picked up by the detectives, enlarged and
embellished, for use in the fight against
the eight-hour movement. The capital
istic press clamored for "rit1e Diet and
''cold lead" in response to the demands
of their owners. The police subsequently
invaded the office of the workingmen's
paper and forbade its publication, eXer-
cising a power unknown heretofore in
this country. Meetings were called to
be held at different parts of the city the
following night to protest against the
murder of innocent people in the street
by uniformed ruifians. After the
slaughter at McCormick's by Pinkerton's
men the anger of the masses knew no
bounds and they by one impulse made
toward the works to avenge the blood of
their comrades; but suddenly there is a
MN among them urging and command
ing them to go peaceably home. He did
it at almost the risk of his life. He plead
and argued the folly of resorting to vio-
lence and succeeded in his efforts to dis
perse the mob and prevent more blood
she'd That man was August Spies who
to-day stands under sentence of death.
A man whose only otfense is that he
loves justice and humanity and hates
wrong.
"Oh, that every wage-worker would
read his brief biography written by his
own hand. | read it and every page
brought mist to my eyes. You people
get it, read it and you will join with me
in protesting against the shedding of in
nocent blood.
81 now come to the tragedy of May 4,
by which seven policemen under the
command of Butcher Bonfield lost their
lives. A meeting at place called Hay